Production of ethanol from lactose by yeast cells immobilized in open-pore agar

An open-pore agar matrix has been shown to be suitable for the entrapment of Candida pseudotropicalis whole cells are used in reactions that involve cell growth and gas evolution. The basic conditions for lactose fermentation by immobilized yeast cells i.e. inoculum quantity, pH, temperature and culture time were standardized. It was shown that yeast cells immobilized in the porous carrier could be used repeatedly in the batch fermentation system for seven 36 h cycles without any substantial loss in ethanol yield, and beads of porous agar with entrapped cells did not rupture, even after periods of 18 d of use.